help with calorie cycling (zig zaging)

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Phanessa917
Phanessa917 Posts: 100 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read some other posts about calorie cycling but i'm still a little confused.
with 1200/day i should zig zag totaling 8400 a week but how do I factor in the exercise calories that i need to eat back?
For example, I burned 727 calories today but was only able to eat 143 of that back, eating a total of 1343.
Let's pretend today was my high day and should have ate 1300 cals.
In todays case, i DID eat approx 1300 cals BUT i also worked out...
Should I have eaten 700 EXTRA cals>????
what does that mean and how does that affect calorie cycling????

HELP! >_<

Replies

  • texasladysv
    texasladysv Posts: 103 Member
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    bump, I want to learn how to do this too...
  • pinklion721
    pinklion721 Posts: 226 Member
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    Bump I would like to see what others say.
  • kriots
    kriots Posts: 375 Member
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    bump
  • monicainacoma
    monicainacoma Posts: 84 Member
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    I do 1360 calories for about 12 weeks at a time and then a week right below my maintenance calories for my current weight. 1360 is my calorie goal if I wanna lose 1 1/2 lbs per week. I actually just finished my 1 week at higher cals today. I had 1850 per day which is setting it to lose 1/2 lbsper week. The reason they say to do that is, because when you constantly diet you're metabolism gets used to it, so when you are finished and try to go back to eat at a maintenance level, your metabolism is too slow and u could gain some weight back. The crazy thing is.. I should have lost 1/2lb in the past week, but I actually lost like 2. Supposedly, it's because when you ramp up your calories after a period of them being low, your metabolism kicks into full gear. It keeps it healthy. Some people do one day a week, some do every other week.. I prefer to do it less often, because I don't wanna cheat myself. Here is the article that I read originally..

    http://a1xtremefitness.com/wordpress/?p=259

    Also, you should def be eating back your exercise calories, because your NET calories should never fall below 1200. I always eat back my exercise calories, but just be safe, I always round down for exercise and round up for food. That way there is little room for error. Hope I helped!
  • SJSharksChick
    SJSharksChick Posts: 83 Member
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    Bump!
  • sheils8
    sheils8 Posts: 57
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    does it work if you do it daily?

    like eat 1400 one day and then eat 1700, and then back to 1400?
  • Phanessa917
    Phanessa917 Posts: 100 Member
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    Also, you should def be eating back your exercise calories, because your NET calories should never fall below 1200. I always eat back my exercise calories, but just be safe, I always round down for exercise and round up for food. That way there is little room for error. Hope I helped!

    so, if I burned 727 cals & my daily is 1200, my total would be 1927.. what is "NET" ? Am I suppose to aim for my GOAL every time? (my diary for yesterday below)

    Totals 1,343 271 16 40 42 116
    Your Daily Goal 1,927 264 64 72 22 39
    Remaining 584 -7 48 32 -20 -77
    Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Sugar
    *You've earned 727 extra calories from exercise today
  • ladybuggirls07
    ladybuggirls07 Posts: 15 Member
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    BUMP... I'm interested in this too...
  • sheils8
    sheils8 Posts: 57
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    phanessa917 - yes! you would eat 1927. net calories means the calories consumed with workout burn included.

    so like you said:

    you should eat 1200
    you burn 727

    so your net should be 1200, meaning you eat 1200 + 727

    otherwise if you burned 727 and didnt eat those cals back your net would only be 473!
  • monicainacoma
    monicainacoma Posts: 84 Member
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    Also, you should def be eating back your exercise calories, because your NET calories should never fall below 1200. I always eat back my exercise calories, but just be safe, I always round down for exercise and round up for food. That way there is little room for error. Hope I helped!

    so, if I burned 727 cals & my daily is 1200, my total would be 1927.. what is "NET" ? Am I suppose to aim for my GOAL every time? (my diary for yesterday below)

    Totals 1,343 271 16 40 42 116
    Your Daily Goal 1,927 264 64 72 22 39
    Remaining 584 -7 48 32 -20 -77
    Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber Sugar
    *You've earned 727 extra calories from exercise today


    yeah exactly. yr net calories should equal yr goal of 1200 per day. it shows yr daily goal as 1927, bc u burned 727 so u have to add that to the 1200. MFP does it for u.
  • Calif_Girl67
    Calif_Girl67 Posts: 526 Member
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    I do 1360 calories for about 12 weeks at a time and then a week right below my maintenance calories for my current weight. 1360 is my calorie goal if I wanna lose 1 1/2 lbs per week. I actually just finished my 1 week at higher cals today. I had 1850 per day which is setting it to lose 1/2 lbsper week. The reason they say to do that is, because when you constantly diet you're metabolism gets used to it, so when you are finished and try to go back to eat at a maintenance level, your metabolism is too slow and u could gain some weight back. The crazy thing is.. I should have lost 1/2lb in the past week, but I actually lost like 2. Supposedly, it's because when you ramp up your calories after a period of them being low, your metabolism kicks into full gear. It keeps it healthy. Some people do one day a week, some do every other week.. I prefer to do it less often, because I don't wanna cheat myself. Here is the article that I read originally..

    http://a1xtremefitness.com/wordpress/?p=259


    Also, you should def be eating back your exercise calories, because your NET calories should never fall below 1200. I always eat back my exercise calories, but just be safe, I always round down for exercise and round up for food. That way there is little room for error. Hope I helped!




    So is it working the way you are doing it? So you eat the same amout of calories everyday for 12 weekss then you change the amount you eat? I tried the zig zagging and it made me gain so I stopped. Now i eat 1550 a day.

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